1983 New Wave Anthem Remains the Legendary Band's Only Top 10 Hit

The Talking Heads are arguably one of the defining rock bands of the 1980s, and it's no small thanks to their many beloved tracks, like "Psycho Killer," "Once in a Lifetime," and "Burning Down the House." But what some classic rock fans might be surprised to learn is that only one of the band's songs ever broke into the Billboard Hot 100 chart's Top 10.

This happened in 1983 with the track "Burning Down the House." While it's definitely one of Talking Heads' most famous songs, it might not be the most popular, depending on who you ask. Despite this, the energetic new wave song released as the first official single off the band's album Speaking in Tongues remains the highest-charting of all their tracks.

"Burning Down the House" is a hyped-up, funk-filled song that can get anyone grooving, and it's been featured in a number of mainstream films, including 1984's Revenge of the Nerds and 2004's 13 Going on 30.

The song was a huge success and it soared up the music charts, peaking at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also reached the sixth position on Billboard's US Rock Top Tracks chart and the Top 10 in Canada and New Zealand.

In comparison, "Psycho Killer" peaked at 92 on the Billboard Hot 100, "Life During Wartime" reached 80, and the live version of "Once in a Lifetime" reached the 91st spot.

Related: 1982 Classic Song Inspired by Iran's Ban on Rock Music Became The Band's Biggest U.S. Hit

In an interview with NPR in 2023, band founder David Byrne said that he first heard the phrase "burning down the house" as a chant the crowd was saying at a Parliament-Funkadelic concert.

He explained how the song came together, saying, "The rest of it, I thought, let me see if I can make a song that is basically a lot of non-sequiturs that have a kind of emotional impact. That they have some sort of emotional resonance, but literally they don't make any sense."

Related: 1982 New Wave Classic Became a Timeless Love Anthem, Despite Never Reaching No. 1

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This story was originally published May 22, 2026 at 7:04 PM.